Feel the Birds
At last a truly sunny morning. Even if I’m not in the sunniest of moods, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Mornings are feeling more and more like Fall. Air temps reached below 60 here at dawn. Still comfy but a sweatshirt may be needed soon. I really can’t complain. When I lived in Washington, hat and gloves were in order when the seasons turned. I have not worn those since moving and I like it.
I left the house today at about 10:30 and the temperature had definitely risen well above 60 by that time. I didn’t check but it was probably close to 70.
I get to the parking lot and it is just such a beautiful morning. Clear blue skies and the ocean surface looks pretty smooth.
The sun feels great on my back as I head down the stairs. Just a bit of coolness in the air but I’m quite comfortable.
When I get to the beach I notice that the waves are actually breaking normally today. It might be partially due to the fact that most of my recent swims have been at high tide and today it is nearly low tide (but not all that low at all - 3.2.) It is nice to be able to walk into the water without waves throwing double fist sized rocks at my feet.
The water is noticeably cooler today. We have had moderate to breezy onshores the last couple days. I dive in and it just doesn’t seem right to open my eyes. It seems something is missing…oh yeah…it’s not enough to have your goggles over your head. They need to actually cover your eyes.
Although it is indeed cooler, we are still in what I consider to be the comfort zone. I’m gonna call the average temp at 65 today. There are a few cooler spots and I try to just imagine my skin opening up and accepting the cold through those patches.
After I pass the middle stairway that runs about half way through the housing community along the strand, the water clears up dramatically. It’s not at all crystal clear but I’d say it is the clearest I have seen in weeks. The water has been so so very cloudy.
When I get to the south end of the beach, I see lots and lots of fish.
I begin to head back north and it seems as soon as I reach that middle stairway again, the water goes super cloudy and stays that way for the rest of the swim. Well that clear water was nice while it lasted, but this is good too.
It’s just such a great swim. I’ve had a “challenge” on my mind for the past several days that has been emotionally taxing. One thing I have been learning the last couple of days is that the best thing I can do when I am in a setting like this where I am alone and not otherwise mentally occupied is to not think about this “challenge” in specific terms. It is just not helpful for me to imagine myself interacting with the people involved. I start imagining what they might say and these ruminations never end well. I just end up imagining some awful conversation. So I focus on the birds and water and the sounds of the birds and the water and the feel of the birds and the water…wait…I don’t feel the birds. I certainly don’t think they want to feel me!
Speaking of birds, I do get super close to a pair of seagulls. One lets out a chirp and it sounds just like…a seagull. I’m used to hearing them when they are thirty feet over head.
Eventually I find myself at my northern turnaround point. I’m surprised how quickly I got here. Oh man I just love this light. The cliffs, the shoreline the blue forever expanse - it’s so great.
